George Kennedy
Acting
George Kennedy (February 18, 1925 — February 28, 2016) was a European-American businessman, entrepreneur, A World War II veteran, actor, adviser, radio dj, and author. Kennedy at one stage in his career cornered the market at playing tough, no-nonsense characters who were either quite crooked or possessed hearts of gold. Kennedy notched up an impressive 200+ appearances in both TV and film, and was well respected within the Hollywood community. He started out in TV westerns in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), Maverick (1957), Colt .45 (1957), among others; before scoring minor roles in films including Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). The late 1960s was a very busy period for Kennedy, and he was strongly in favor with casting agents, appearing in Hurry Sundown (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and scoring an Oscar win as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cool Hand Luke (1967). The disaster film boom of the 1970s was kind to Kennedy, too, and his talents were in demand for Airport(1970) and the three subsequent sequels, as a grizzled cop in Earthquake (1974), plus the buddy/road film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) as vicious bank robber Red Leary. The 1980s saw Kennedy appear in a mishmash of roles, playing various characters; however, Kennedy and Leslie Nielsen surprised everyone with their comedic talents in the hugely successful The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), and the two screen veterans hammed it up again in, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), plus Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). Kennedy remained busy in Hollywood and lent his distinctive voice to the animated Cats Don't Dance (1997) and the children's action film Small Soldiers (1998). A Hollywood stalwart for nearly 50 years, he is one of the most enjoyable actors to watch on screen. His last role was in the film The Gambler (2014), as Mark Wahlberg's character's grandfather. George Kennedy died on February 28, 2016 in Middleton, Idaho.
Known for
Acting178
movieAnother Happy Day
2011
Joe Baker
movieSix Days in Paradise
2010
Monty Crenshaw
movie2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
(archive footage)
movieThe Man Who Came Back
2008
Judge Duke
movieThe Boneyard Collection
2008
Professor Zebediah Jones (segment "The Devil's Due at Midnight")
movieSands of Oblivion
2007
John Tevis
movieDon't Come Knocking
2005
Director
movieThree Bad Men
2005
Ed Fiske
movieTruce
2005
Dr. Peter Gannon
movieMonster Makers
2003
Dexter Brisbane
movieView from the Top
2003
Passenger Requesting Vodka (uncredited)
movieDennis the Menace Strikes Again!
1998
Mr. Johnson
movieSmall Soldiers
1998
Brick Bazooka (voice)
movieDallas: War of The Ewings
1998
Carter McKay
movieHollyweird
1998
George Kennedy
movieCats Don't Dance
1997
L.B. Mammoth (voice)
movieBayou Ghost
1997
Officer Lowe
movieDallas: J.R. Returns
1996
Carter McKay
tvThe Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996
General Axton (voice)
tvSanto Bugito
1995
Ralph (voice)
movieWWE SummerSlam 1994
1994
Himself
tvDuckman
1994
Movie Director (voice)
tvLate Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
Self - Guest
movieDistant Justice
1992
Tom Bradfield
movieFinal Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
1992
Father Dave Hagan
movieIntensive Care
1991
Dr. Bruckner
tvThe Commish
1991
Al Scali
movieDriving Me Crazy
1991
John McCready
movieHangfire
1991
Warden Barles
movieMayumi: Virgin Terrorist
1990
Bahraini Investigator
movieHired to Kill
1990
Thomas
tvWings
1990
George Kennedy
movieBrain Dead
1990
Vance
movieMinistry of Vengeance
1989
Rev. Hughes
movieEsmeralda Bay
1989
Wilson
movieUninvited
1988
Mike Harvey
movieTop Line
1988
Heinrich Holzmann
movieNightmare at Noon
1988
Sherrif Hanks
moviePrivate Road: No Trespassing
1988
Sam Milshaw
movieDemonwarp
1988
Bill Crafton
movieCounterforce
1988
Vince Colby
movieBorn to Race
1988
Vincent Duplain
movieWhat Price Victory
1988
Big Buck Brayton
movieThe Gambler: The Legend Continues
1987
General Nelson Miles
movieCreepshow 2
1987
Ray Spruce
movieThe Gunfighters
1987
Deke Turner
movieRadioactive Dreams
1986
Spade Chandler
movieLiberty
1986
Seamus Reilly
movieThe Delta Force
1986
Father O'Malley
movieSavage Dawn
1985
Tick Rand
movieInternational Airport
1985
Rudy Van Leuven
movieRigged
1985
Ben Wheeler
movieHalf Nelson
1985
Parsons
movieBolero
1984
Cotton
movieThe Jesse Owens Story
1984
Charles 'Charley' Riley
movieThe Jupiter Menace
1982
Himself
movieWacko
1982
Mr. Doctor Graves
movieJust Before Dawn
1981
Roy McLean
movieModern Romance
1981
George Kennedy / Zeron
movieHotwire
1980
Farley & Harley Fontenot
movieVirus
1980
Admiral Conway
movieDeath Ship
1980
Captain Ashland
movieSteel
1979
Big Lew Cassidy
movieThe Concorde... Airport '79
1979
Joe Patroni
movieSearch and Destroy
1979
Anthony Fusqua
movieThe Double McGuffin
1979
Chief Talasek
tvBackstairs at the White House
1979
Pres. Warren G. Harding
movieBrass Target
1978
Gen. George S. Patton
movieDeath on the Nile
1978
Andrew Pennington
tvDallas
1978
Carter McKay
movieMean Dog Blues
1978
Captain Omar Kinsman
movieProof of the Man
1977
Ken Shuftan
movieAirport '77
1977
Joe Patroni
movieThe Human Factor
1975
John Kinsdale
tvSaturday Night Live
1975
Self - Host
movieThe Eiger Sanction
1975
Ben Bowman
movieThe Blue Knight
1975
Bumper Morgan
tvThe Blue Knight
1975
Officer Bumper Morgan
movieEarthquake
1974
Sgt. Lew Slade
movieAirport 1975
1974
Joe Patroni
movieThunderbolt and Lightfoot
1974
Red Leary
movieA Cry in the Wilderness
1974
Sam Hadley
movieSonic Boom
1974
Ben Dover
movieDeliver Us from Evil
1973
Walter 'Cowboy' McAdams
movieCahill: United States Marshal
1973
Abe Fraser
movieLost Horizon
1973
Sam Cornelius
movieA Great American Tragedy
1972
Brad Wilkes
movieThe Bull of the West
1972
'Bear' Suchette
tvSarge
1971
Samuel Cavanaugh
movieThe Priest Killer
1971
Father Samuel Cavanaugh
movieFools' Parade
1971
Dallas 'Doc' Council
movieSarge: The Badge or the Cross
1971
Sarge Swanson
movieDirty Dingus Magee
1970
Herkimer 'Hoke' Birdsill
movieZig Zag
1970
Paul R. Cameron
movieAirport
1970
Joe Patroni
movie… tick… tick… tick…
1970
John Little
movieGaily, Gaily
1969
Axel P. Johanson
movieThe Pink Jungle
1968
Sammy Ryderbeit
movieThe Boston Strangler
1968
Det. Phil DiNatale
movieThe Legend of Lylah Clare
1968
Matt Burke
movieBandolero!
1968
Sheriff July Johnson
movieThe Ballad of Josie
1968
Arch Ogden
movieCool Hand Luke
1967
Dragline
movieThe Dirty Dozen
1967
Major Max Armbruster
tvIronside
1967
Father Samuel Cavanaugh
movieHurry Sundown
1967
Sheriff Coombs
movieMirage
1965
Willard
tvThe Big Valley
1965
Thatcher
tvThe Legend of Jesse James
1965
Blodgett
movieShenandoah
1965
Col. Fairchild
movieIn Harm's Way
1965
Colonel Gregory
tvDaniel Boone
1964
Zach Morgan
tvThe Rogues
1964
Major Vyx
movieIsland of the Blue Dolphins
1964
Aleut Captain
movieMcHale's Navy
1964
Henri Le Clerc
movieStrait-Jacket
1964
Leo Krause
movieCharade
1963
Herman Scobie
tvThe Great Adventure
1963
Sergeant Muldaney
tvThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
George Martin
tvThe Virginian
1962
Jack Marshman / Tom 'Bear' Suchette / Huck Harkness
movieLonely are the Brave
1962
Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez
tvDr. Kildare
1961
Joe Cramer / Sergeant Hensley
movieThe Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
1961
Nathan Dillon
tvGunslinger
1961
Sheriff
tvSurfside 6
1960
Gabe Buchanan
tvThe Andy Griffith Show
1960
State Police Detective
tvThriller
1960
John Paterson
tvRiverboat
1959
Gunner Slagle
tvBonanza
1959
Waldo Watson / Peter Long
tvRawhide
1959
George Wales
tvBat Masterson
1958
Sheriff Zeke Armitage
tvMaverick
1957
Deputy Jones
tvPerry Mason
1957
George Spangler
tvSugarfoot
1957
Ross Kuhn / Sykes
tvHave Gun, Will Travel
1957
Deke - Killer / Big Jim / Sam Tarnitzer
tvCheyenne
1955
Lee Nelson
tvThe Phil Silvers Show
1955
Kennedy (uncredited)
tvGunsmoke
1955
Emil / Bayloe / Swarner / Hug / Stark / Cyrus / Ben Payson
tvThe Oscars
1953
Self